Last week, a business colleague told me about a new social media management tool I have to try. It was casual conversation, but for brands, there’s power in that recommendation. Humans crowdsource by habit. We regularly seek others’ opinions, advice and ideas when making purchases both in our personal and professional lives. Many, many decades ago, when marketers recognized the power of word of mouth and figured out how to create that one-on-one feeling within mass marketing, the testimonial was born.Continue reading “The Evolution of Testimonials in Marketing and Their Power Today”→

We’re sending you warm thoughts a sweet New Year. But before you close the door on 2018, here’s a look back at the most-read posts on glee. Interestingly, not one topic dominated the top of the charts. Readers were interested in trends and best practices in topics across the board including content marketing, event marketing, copywriting and social media. Continue reading “glee’s Top Posts of 2018”→

The pace of change in the marketing industry did not slow down in 2018. Last year we posted a blog that curated experts’ prediction for 2018 and many of them held true. Influencer marketing exploded. AI continued to insert itself into the industry through chatbots and more. Video marketing hit a new high. So looking into the crystal ball…where will the industry go in 2019? Will influencer marketing continue to climb? Will marketers put more efforts into content? Digital strategies? Social? And will social as we know it change?Continue reading “2019 Outlook: Content Marketing Goes Long”→

When you’re trying to sell more product, memberships, event tickets, or something else, it’s tempting to jump right into tactics. But, throwing money into an unproven strategy isn’t ideal. That’s why, whenever you start a new campaign either annually or to launch a new product or effort, it’s critical to go through a process that builds a strategy based on data.

What does the world really think of the marketing messages they are confronted with all day every day? The results of two recent surveys give us valuable insight into the psyche of our audiences and can help us create new strategies or refocus our current ones. Here are a few highlights along with my thoughts on the recent survey reports you’ll want to dig into as you prepare for 2019:Continue reading “2 Surveys That Help Marketers Think Strategically”→

Email campaigns good. Digital and paid social campaigns are great. Content marketing campaigns are essential. But there are five things that event marketers should do to keep their strategies at the top of their game. This infographic identifies the additional marketing activities your team should be working on to make the biggest impact with your target audiences.

E-newsletters are highly-used and highly-useful tool in the content marketing toolbox. And with good reason, e-newsletters can be great vehicles for delivering brand messages, connecting and engaging with target audiences and sharing the brand story. The success of e-newsletter effort comes down to a few simple dos and don’ts. Whether you have an established e-newsletter or are weighing the value of starting one, read these rules and examples of strong e-newsletters in order to produce an effective content marketing tool.Continue reading “The Do’s and Don’ts of E-newsletters”→